March 19, 2021 – Click here to listen
One time I went hunting with someone whom I barely knew. We entered a vast swamp and we walked a considerable distance looking for a new place to hunt. Everything began looking the same in this overgrown swamp and soon we were completely lost. When I announced that I didn’t have a clue as to which direction our vehicle was located my companion completely panicked.
He got wild eyed and took off running, darting in one direction and then the next. I don’t believe I’ve ever witnessed anyone being more terrified. He was a big tough looking guy but started crying. I tried to console him and told him to calm down that it might take a while but we would find our way out. It was as though he didn’t even hear me.
I decided to try my utmost to keep walking in a straight line. The last thing I wanted to do was walk in circles. So I would pick out a tree and walk to it and then spot another and walk to it. The guy with me was in full panic mode. I was trying to ignore him and stay focused on walking in what I hoped was a straight line and suddenly he looked at me through crazed eyes and said he wanted to go another direction. When I refused, the next thing I knew he raised his gun and said you’re coming with me. I quickly raised my gun and pointed it at him, released the safety, and told him to back off or I’d put a bullet in him and leave him there. He lowered his gun and I grabbed it from him and unloaded it.
I told him that if we didn’t make it out by nightfall, worst case scenario, I could build us a fire and we could simply wait until morning to resume finding our way out of there. It would be uncomfortable but there was no reason to panic over spending a night in the woods.
Fortunately it didn’t come to that, it started getting dusky just as we finally came out on a road. I was so turned around that I started walking down it in the wrong direction, but finally realized where I was and quickly turned around and walked a couple of miles to my truck. We arrived back at our vehicle in total darkness.
I was thinking of being lost this morning and I remembered this incident. Prior to realizing we were lost we were having a great time. The guy I was with was all smiles and we were enjoying ourselves. Upon realizing we were lost this guy went nutty on me. I did not look forward to spending the night in a swamp full of hungry mosquitos, but I knew that we would eventually find our way out of there, but he was convinced we were going to die. He was lost with no faith.
I believe this is how faith in God works. Life can throw some wicked curveballs at us, but if we keep the faith, we can weather the storms. Some folks just cannot believe that God exists and then they experience some crisis and cry out to Him. If there is no crisis, they drop God like a hot rock. The Bible states that, The heavens declare His glory and the firmament, (the expanse of the universe) shows His handiwork. In Psalms 19 David said, “The day utters speech and the night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. His invisible attributes are clearly seen and understood by the things He has made.”
So why do so many reject Him? It reminds me of my hunting companion who would run one way and then another looking for a way to safety. The Bible tells us that men loved unrighteousness and the creature rather than the Creator, and King Solomon said the fool has said in his heart that there is no God. We are assured that God has put eternity in our hearts and a longing to reconcile with Him resides within us all. But it seems to me that rebellion, the love of this world and the “things” in it, and the desire to sin, prevent man from testifying that God exists and seeking Him in spite of witnessing the glory that surrounds us and speaks to us day and night.
When trouble strikes our very first inclination should be to cry out to the Lord. That’s what children do; they cry out to their parents when trouble comes. My youngest son and his family came to see us in Florida from Atlanta. They brought so much stuff that they drove instead of flying. They were coming down the Turnpike and suddenly the brakes went out on their new car. It was about 9 o’clock at night and stores were closed. They had coasted to a stop and were sitting on the side of the road mulling over what they should do. They heard a small voice in the back seat which was my 8 year old grandson and he said, “Okay we just need to stop and pray about this.”
Oh to be so wise . . .
Luke 18:16
But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!